WFD: Dryer lint to blame for early morning fire

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Fire Department has wrapped up its investigation into an early morning fire on Francis Marion Drive.

The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Crews were able to extinguish the fire around 3:30 a.m.

Firefighters say excessive lint build up in the vent system is to blame.

The home was destroyed. No one got hurt.

The Red Cross is helping the family with temporary housing.

The fire department says as a reminder, do not use the dryer without a link filter, make sure you clean the link filter before or after each load of laundry, make sure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and the outdoor vent flap will open when the dryer is in use.

Also, once a year, if you notice that it’s taking longer than normal for your clothes to dry, clean lint out of the vent pipe or have a dryer link removal service do it for you.